The Major Scale is proud to present a three-part special for Cornell Fine Arts Museum’s exhibit African American Art in the 20th Century, on loan from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It’s a bounty of bold and brilliant masterworks that showcases paintings and sculptures from 32 African American artists. In our special series, we delve into the stories that tie together the exhibit’s themes, including jazz and civil rights, as well as the music with the show’s curator, Virginia Mecklenburg.
Part 1: The early days of the 20th century were a harsh reality for African Americans, but change was underfoot and it could be found in the art and music of the day. We’ll go from the crossroads of the early blues, to the avenues of the Harlem Renaissance, right down to the starting line of bebop. We spin Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Bird and Diz and more.Continue Reading …
The Mattson 2 and Emma-Jean Thackray (with Hillary Donnell)
The Major Scale gets into a sentimental mood as we weave together the melodic with a sense of the melancholic, looking back at the legacies of a trio of musical greats.
From the first few blasts of the horn and guitar strums, Dos Santos’ album “Logos” will intrigue and possess you with its lovely dark edges–a reverie of reverb bolstered by an ethereal tempo. Their brand of Latin post-rock and psychedelic jazzy textures can both haunt and rock you.